Middle East & North Africa

10 Sep 2020; MEMO: Egyptian authorities have demanded that no more licences for shops owned by Syrians be issued following direct orders from General Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi.

Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reports seeing an internal circular sent to governors and deputies by Local Development Minister Mahmoud Sharawi, stipulating they must have direct approval from the Interior Ministry to issue commercial licences to Syrians and be provided with a statement listing “the names of the Syrians”.

10 Sep 2020; MEMO: The Turkish lira hit a record low of 7.49 against the US dollar yesterday, under the impact of growing risk aversion, which increased selling pressures globally.

The record low brings losses against the US currency this year to nearly 21 per cent, putting it among the world’s worst performers.

10 Sep 2020; MEMO: The US has no alternative but to return to the nuclear deal from which it withdrew in 2018, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said.

In statements yesterday, Rouhani added that the US had “made a mistake” after withdrawing from the nuclear deal, saying that Tehran had been under all kinds of pressure for the past three years.

10 Sep 2020; MEMO: Talks between Libya’s two rival administrations being held in the Moroccan capital Rabat, were suspended and due to restart today, official sources reported yesterday.

“The Libyan Dialogue, which has been proceeding in a positive and constructive manner, has achieved important understandings,” Maghreb Arabe Presse quoted the Libyan representative of the High Council of State, Mohamed Khalifa Najm, as saying.

10 Sep 2020; MEMO: Jordan has announced plans to conscript 25-29-year-olds into the army for a one-year period in an attempt to tackle rising unemployment in the country.

Plans for the scheme were officially agreed between Labour Minister Nidal Bataineh and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for the Jordanian army Major General Yousef Huneiti, yesterday, under the supervision of Prime Minister Omar Razzaz.

10 Sep 2020; MEMO: Iraq’s Cabinet has approved loans granted by Saudi Arabia and China this week, further deepening its relations with the two states.

In the weekly Iraqi cabinet meeting on Tuesday, chaired by Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, it was agreed to approve the financial conditions for two loans granted by the Saudi Fund for Development.

10 Sep 2020; MEMO: The United Nations Children’s Fund has said that around eight million children are now out of school in Yemen due to the war and Covid-19 pandemic. UNICEF gave the details in a tweet with a video earlier this week to mark International Literacy Day 2020.

DAMASCUS, Sept 10 (NNN-SANA) – Daesh inmates staged a riot yesterday, inside a prison run by Kurdish forces, in Syria’s north-eastern province of Hasakah, a war monitor reported.

In the riot that broke out after midnight, the inmates destroyed a wall in Ghweiran prison and reached the yard of the facility, demanding permission for family visits and fair trials, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

BEIRUT, Sept 10 (NNN-NNA) – Hezbollah announced on Wednesday that, the U.S. sanctions policy, will not achieve its goal in Lebanon.

“U.S. sanctions will increase people’s commitment to their rights to free decision, national dignity and full sovereignty,” Hezbollah said, in a statement.

The Hezbollah’s statement comes, after the U.S. treasury’s latest sanctions against Former Finance Minister, Ali Hassan Khalil and Former Minister of Public Works and Transportation, Youssef Fenianos, over allegedly providing material support to Hezbollah and for corruption.

CAIRO/RAMALLAH, Sept 10 (NNN-MENA) – Arab foreign ministers have not reached a consensus on a draft presented by Palestine, over the peace process with Israel, an Arab League (AL) official said.

Hossam Zaki, AL’s assistant secretary-general, made the remarks, after the 154th session of the AL Council, at the level of foreign ministers, which kicked off via a video conference under Palestine’s presidency.

Zaki said that “the discussions regarding the Israel-United Arab Emirates (UAE) deal were serious, comprehensive and took much time.”